La Liga heads into the final eight game weeks, on the back of an El Clasico to remember, or for Real Madrid to forget. Having said that, Los Blancos still lead proceedings by nine points, as second placed Sevilla face-off with third-placed Barcelona who will slow down either side’s pursuit of closing that enormous gap.
Saturday 2 April
11/10 Getafe | Draw 2/1 | Mallorca 29/10 (14:00)
Kicking off Saturday’s proceedings is a relegation scrap. Mallorca are 18th on 26 points looking to climb out of the drop zone, while Getafe have a brilliant opportunity to distance themselves from the chasing pack 15th on 29 points.
Neither side look capable of walking away with all three. The home side has drawn four of their last five and will be without key center-back Jorge Cuenca who is suspended after picking up his second red card of the season. The away side is in worse shape having lost their last five and are without two key defenders both serving suspensions. Both sides are going to be tentative but still look to capitalize on their chances so I’m backing Under 2.5 Goals at 9/20.
26/10 Levante | Draw 26/10 | Villarreal 19/20 (16:15)
Typical Villarreal! After thumping Juventus 3-0 in the Champions League, they travel to relegation contenders Cadiz and suffered a 1-0 defeat. Even though Levante are rock bottom, there is no chance of an upset on this one. I’m all in on a Villarreal win this weekend.
29/10 Celta Vigo | Draw 26/10 | Real Madrid 9/10 (18:30)
If there was a moment for Real Madrid to regain confidence, it’s the trip to Celta Vigo. After this weekend, Los Blancos travel to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea, and momentum will be crucial.
Karim Benzema’s absence from the team seemed to have Carlo Ancelotti at a loss for tactics when they faced Barcelona, and a 4-0 defeat was telling of the lack of identity without a focal point. Madrid have not lost to Celta Vigo since 2014 and usually use them as whipping boys, so back the away side to get back to winning ways emphatically, even without Benzema.
7/20 Atletico Madrid | Draw 38/10 | Alaves 15/2 (21:00)
Atletico Madrid are on a roll. With a win over Manchester United to progress in the UCL, and a hard fought 1-0 win over a stubborn Rayo Vallecano the hope is that the momentum hasn’t been negatively interrupted over the international break.
Alaves on the other hand have had a tough few months, or entire season for that matter. It’s five straight wins, versus winless in five. Atletico Madrid might be without their top goal scorer and assist maker Angel Correa, but the host of attacking options will easily plug the hole. Back Atletico Win To Nil at 19/20.
Sunday 3 April
5/10 Athletic Bilbao | Draw 31/10 | Elche 56/10 (14:00)
Athletic Bilbao’s recent dip in form collecting just seven points from a possible 15 is not going to give the team any confidence in closing the gap on a European spot.
This matchup with 14th-placed Elche is the perfect opportunity, as the away team have been poor on the road this campaign winning just two of 15 fixtures. Athletic Bilbao do not lose this tie.
8/10 Real Betis | Draw 26/10 | Osasuna 32/10 (16:15)
After recently being knocked out of the Europa League, a bland 0-0 performance against Celta Vigo worsened their chances at UCL hopes.
With Real Sociedad breathing down Manuel Pellegrini’s hopes the pressure is building. Osasuna are in no man’s land on the La Liga table, and have nothing to really fight for, but a recent 3-1 victory over Levante will spur them on to possibly go on a run of form. Real Betis need all three points, and with the return of midfielder Victor Camarasa alongside fully-fit playmaker Sergio Canale, a home win is due.
33/20 Granada | Draw 43/20 | Rayo Vallecano 7/4 (18:30)
A potential banana skin matchup when Rayo Vallecano travel to the South of Spain to face Granada. Granada ended on a high note defeating Alaves by three goals to two courtesies of a late winner from Luis Suarez, the only downside was goalkeeper Aaron Escandell picking up a straight red in the 90th-minute set to start his suspension this weekend.
Vallecano haven’t been at their best and would have used the international break to conjure up strategies going forward after failing to win any of their last 10 La Liga fixtures. I am not so confident here and backing Granada on the draw no bet at 8/10 is the play.
9/10 Valencia | Draw 47/20 | Cadiz 33/10 (18:30)
After a dip in form from January towards the end of February, when Valencia lost 4-1 to Barcelona, the situation has taken a turn for the better. Three wins, three clean sheets, and one draw since said defeat, has really given me confidence in backing The Bats.
Cadiz are in good shape themselves with only one loss to Atletico Madrid in their last five games and bagging all three points against Villarreal in their last encounter. It will be a tough result to grind out for Valencia, and an even tougher task for the away team. The draw is a big runner for me here.
9/20 Barcelona | Draw 33/10 | Sevilla 54/10 (21:00)
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Monday 4 April
13/20 Real Sociedad | Draw 28/10 | Espanyol 42/10 (21:00)
Real Sociedad are in a prime position to jump Real Betis into that fifth spot, so a win over Espanyol is of the utmost importance. Both sides of similar quality and stature, and they absolutely love scoring against each other.
In the last several meetings they have averaged 2.77 goals in this fixture. Espanyol are always a hard team to beat having failed to score in just four of their 11 defeats this season. Both teams to score seems to be a certainty, and I’m backing Real Sociedad to pip the win at 29/10.
QUAD @ 25/1
Villarreal Win 19/20
Real Madrid Win 9/10
Granada Draw No Bet 8/10
Real Sociedad & BTTS (Yes) 29/10
